This invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more specifically, to an ice maker for a refrigerator.
Some refrigerator freezers include an ice maker. The ice maker receives water for ice production from a water valve typically mounted to an exterior of a refrigerator case. A primary mode (if heat transfer for making ice is convection. Specifically, by blowing cold air over an ice maker mold body, heat is removed from water in the mold body. As a result, ice is formed in the mold. Typically, the cold air blown over the ice maker mold body is first blown over the evaporator and then over the mold body by the evaporator fan.
Heat transferred in a given fluid due to convection can be increased or decreased by changing a film coefficient. The film coefficient is dependent on fluid velocity and temperature. With a high velocity and low temperature, the film coefficient is high, which promotes heat transfer an d increasing the ice making rate. Therefore, when the refrigeration circuit is activated, i.e., when the compressor, evaporator fan, and condenser fan are on, ice is made at a quick rate as compared to when the refrigeration circuit is inactivated. Specifically, the air is not as cold and the air velocity is lower when the circuit is inactivated as compared to when the circuit is activated.
User demand for ice, however, is not related to the state of the refrigeration circuit. Specifically, a user may have a high demand for ice at a time in which the circuit in inactivated or may have no need for ice at a time at which the circuit is activated. Therefore, ice may be depleted during a period of high demand for ice by a user and the refrigeration circuit may not necessarily respond to the user demand by making ice more quickly.
In one aspect, an ice maker includes a mold including at least one cavity for containing water therein for freezing into ice, a water supply including at least one valve for controlling water flow into the mold, an ice removal heating element operationally coupled to the mold, and an ice maker control system operationally coupled to the valve and the ice removal heating element and configured to control the valve, control the ice removal heating element, and provide a signal to a refrigerator control system.
In another aspect, a refrigerator includes a fresh food compartment, a freezer compartment separated from the fresh food compartment by a mullion, an ice maker positioned within the freezer cavity, and a refrigerator control circuit configured to control a temperature of the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment, the refrigerator control system is configured to receive a signal representative of a user selected ice maker speed.
In yet another aspect, a refrigerator includes a fresh food compartment, a refrigerator evaporator operationally coupled to the fresh food compartment and configured to cool the fresh food compartment, a refrigerator evaporator fan positioned to move air across the refrigerator evaporator, a freezer compartment separated from the fresh food compartment by a mullion, a freezer evaporator operationally coupled to the freezer cavity and configured to cool the freezer cavity, a freezer evaporator fan positioned to move air across the freezer evaporator, an ice maker positioned within the freezer cavity, and a refrigerator control system configured to control at least one of the freezer evaporator and the freezer evaporator fan, the refrigerator control system is configured to receive a signal regarding the ice maker.